Silicon Valley Nation: Patent frenzy picks up pace

What's the most innovative industry to be in? Hint: It's not garden tools.

SAN FRANCISCO--IBM is still the patent king. So too is Shunpei
Yamazaki. And Sanofi-Aventis. And so too is the electronics
industry, but more about that later.

In data released this week, IBM topped the list of the most prolific
U.S. patent assignees with 6,478, according to IFI
Claims. IBM, which topped the list for the 20th straight
year, was followed next by one Korean company and three
Japanese companies to round out the top
five. Microsoft was kicked down t notch to No. 6. (See top 10 chart below).